Brake-beam



(No Model.) J. P. HILLIARD.

BRAKE BEAM. No. 466,078. Patented Dec. :29, 1891.

A Y A NORHLS Pings m, mo'nmmw. wusmncnm u c 'INITED ESTATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH P. IIILLIARD, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA,

BRAKE-BEAM.

SPEGIF ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,078, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed May 4, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEPH P. HILL1ARD,a resident of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brake-Beams 5' and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to brake-beams, and more particularly to what are known in the art as trussed brake-beams-that is, brakebeams so braced that when they operate to force the brake-shoes into contact with the Wheel the strain is not confined to the center of the beams, but is distributed over the entire length thereof.

The object of'my invention is to dispense with the use of bolts in securing the ends of the rod to the brake-beam and to secure the truss-rod in such a manner as to always insure a rigid connection with the brake-beam.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, in a trussed brake-beam having the ends of the brake-beam and truss-rod incased in a suitable sleeve and a wedge-shaped key entering said sleeve between the ends of f said brake-beam and truss-rod, thereby looking the ends of said brake-beam and truss-rod rigidly within said sleeve, and means for retaining said wedge-shaped key in position.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top View. Fig. 2 is an en larged section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of one of the ends,

' showing the casing in section. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the key.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

The brake-beam a and truss-rod b I prefer to form from T-bars, although any other shapes of angle-iron suitable for the purpose may be employed. A king-bolt c connects the mid-joints of the brake-beam a and trussrod b, the brake-beam a passing through an opening in the head 0 of said king-bolt, said opening corresponding in shape to the section of the brake-beam, and the truss-rod 1) passes through a similar opening in the inner end 0 of said king-bolt. The truss-rod b is bent Serial No. 391,481. (No model.)

to form the angular portions 1) b the ends I) of said truss-rod for a suitable distance being set back on a straight line parallel with the ends a of the brake-beam a. The portion a of the brake-beam a between the straight ends a is preferably slightly bent.

In the ends a and b of the brake-beam and truss-rod, respectively, are formed semicircular grooves, which when said ends are brought into juxtaposition unite to form the circular passage (1 between said ends.

The sleeve or box e, which incloses the ends a b of the brake-beam a and truss-rod b, Irnay be cast in any suitable shape. The interior of said sleeve is formed with the'seat f, with parallel walls for the reception of the parallel ends a b of the brake-beam and truss-rod, the said seat f widening out from its inner end to form the outwardly-flaring seat f .v This outwardly-flaring seat f is formed to receive the portions of the brakebeam and truss-rod adjacent to the straight ends a 11 it being apparent that since the truss-rod b enters said flaring seat f at a greater angle than the brake-beam a the seat will have a greater flare on that side. Both theseats ff are formed with the shoulders g extending from one end thereof to the other, said shoulders forming the guideways g g for the ready insertion of the parallel ends of the brake-beam and truss-rod, as will more fully appear. When the parallel ends a b of the brake-beam and truss-rod are inserted in the sleeve 8, the Web portions h of the said brake-beam and truss-rod enter the guideway g, formed by the shoulders g, while the flanges 72/ enter the guideways g In this manner the parallel ends a b assume their positions within the seat f of the sleeve e, the guideways g being only wide enough to receive the flanges of the brakebeam a and truss-rod b, so that when in said guideway g the faces of the flanges of the parallel ends a b of said brake-beam and truss-rod are brought into contact with each uniting to form the circular passage d. In like manner the portions of the brake-beam and truss-rod adjacent to the parallel ends a I) assume their positions within the flaring seat f, said flaring seat f, as hereinbefore explained, being shaped to correspond to the other, the semicircular grooves in said faces angles at which the brake-beams and trussrods enter said seat.

In order to lock the ends of the brakebeam and truss-rod rigidly within the sleeve e, a key t' is employed, said key consisting of the wedge-shaped head a" and the shank 6 with the threads i formed on the end thereof. This key t" is inserted between the ends of the brake-beam and truss-rod, the shank 1 entering the circular passage cl, while the wedgeshaped head 2" enters the space between the flanges of the brake-beam and truss-rod within the flaring seat f. The wedge-shaped head 1." corresponds in shape to the space inclosed by the portions of the brakebeam and truss-rod adjacent to the ends a" b thereof; consequently one face of said wedgeshaped head 2" is formed at a greater angle than the other in order to coincide with the greater angle of the truss-rod b. By driving the key 2' farther into place the ends of the brake-beam and truss-rod are locked rigidly within the sleeve e. The shank i of the key 2" extends beyond the outer end of the sleeve 6, and upon said shank fits a cap j for closing the end of said sleeve 6. Anut it engages the threads '6 on the end of the shank 11 just beyond the cap j, which nut retains said key in place and prevents its withdrawal, while at the same time the faces of the wedgeshaped head t" of said key of themselves lock the ends of the brake-beam and truss-rod rigidly in place.

The brake-block Zforsupporting the brakeshoe m may be cast integral with the sleeve e, thus avoiding the necessity of the use of bolts in connection with my improved brakebeam.

I am thus enabled to provide a brake-beam so trussed that the truss-rod itself is capable of performing as much work and of sustaining as great strain as the brake-beam.

2. A brake-beam having a truss-rod connected thereto, a sleeve for the reception of the parallel ends and the portions adjacent thereto of said brake-beam and truss-rod, a passage formed between the contiguous faces of said parallel ends and akey having a shank adapted to enter said passage, and a wedgeshaped head adapted to engage the portions of said brake-beam and truss-rod adjacent to said parallel ends to lock said brake-beam and truss-rod within said sleeve, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A brake-beam having a truss-rod connected thereto, a sleeve adapted to receive the parallel ends and the portions adjacent thereto of said brake-beam and truss-rod, a passage formed between the contiguous faces of said parallel ends, a key having a shank adapted to enter said passage and a wedgeshaped head on said key adapted to engage the portions of said brake-beam and trussrod adjacent to said parallel ends, a cap engaging With the outer end of said shank, and a nut engaging with said shank to hold said key in place, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH P. HILLIARD, have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH P. IIILLIARD. Witnesses:

J. N. CooKE, R0121". D: TOTTEN. 

